Services

Hallam Office: 182 Princes Highway or Pakenham Office: 2 Simon Drive.

Established 1993

Home
Articles
About us
Counselling
Mediation
Services
Premarriage
Abstract

                          Services


The services we provide


Counselling and Marriage Counselling
 
Counselling offers you choices.  Often counselling is essential to cope with a crisis or problem.  Counselling is needed when the individual's personal resources are not sufficient to resolve a problem.  It is a helpful aid to reach new goals for personal, couple and family fulfilment.
 
Workshops and Seminars
 
Joan Spencer & Associates have developed a number of Workshops and Seminars that are offered from time to time. Some of these may be accessed over the internet.   A Workshop or Seminar often provides a cost-effective way to continue your interest in subjects raised in counselling. Others may find the Seminars and Workshops useful alternatives to counselling.
 

 
Supervison of other professionals
 
Every person engaged professionally in counselling ought to avail themselves of any opportunity presented for professional supervision. Professional supervision offers the professional counsellor the privilege of checking out the processes they have followed in individual cases with another experienced counsellor. Thus they can gain new insights into their own professional development and case management.
 

 
Pastoral & Spiritual Counselling
 
Pastoral counselling is a form of counselling in which a pastoral counsellor, as a representative of a religious tradition or community, uses the insights of theology and psychology in working with persons to achieve health and wholeness. Unique to pastoral counselling is the conviction that life's transitions and crises are best met by utilizing both the wisdom of religious teachings and the knowledge and skills of  psychology. Cultural and social contexts are taken seriously in the therapeutic process.

 
Effective Co-Parenting Workshops
 
Do you, as a divorced or separating parent feel trapped in the continuing struggle to co-parent your child/ren with your ex-partner? This workshop may well be the answer you are looking for!  We are offering a Parenting Course for separated couples to resolve residential and contact problems.  "Building a better life for your children."  We hope to fill a glaring deficiency in services now provided in Australia for parents and their children following  the trauma of divorce or separation. Children can "effectively" survive separation but have less success surviving ongoing parental conflict. We can help you develop your parenting plan, as suggested by the Family Law Act.

Mediation

Mediation, sometimes referred to as dispute resolution, is a decision-making process by which people in a relationship are helped to co-operatively resolve their differences with the help of qualified and impartial mediators. Such a relationship may be between husband and wife, couples in a defacto arrangement, parent and child, family, employer and employee, or others in dispute. Joan Spencer, in addition to her qualification as a mediator by virtue of her social work  post graduate degree has completed a two part course at the Moorabbin Mediation Centre and now meets the requirements of  the Federal Attorney's General Department  (Australia) to practice as a family law mediator.


Premarital Counselling

Learn how to enhance your relationship, and put into place those relationship skills that will help to ensure the growth in intimacy so essential for a happy marriage.  Become aware of the pitfalls that can catch you when you least expect them. Discover why some successful defacto relationships run into trouble after the wedding. Drawing from our experience in helping couples when things go wrong, combined with years of premarital counselling sessions, we are in a unique position to help you develop a fulfilling relationship. Your choice of either couple counselling, or the cost effective alternative of Virtually Married workshops, or both.


Mental Health Services

    • Joan Spencer is accredited to practice as a mental health social worker. An accredited Mental Health Social Worker is a social worker who has been assessed by the Australian Association of Social Workers  (AASW) as having specialist mental health expertise.
    • An accredited Mental Health Social Worker in private practice is eligible to provide services through the (Australian) Commonwealth funded Better Access to Mental health Care  and Chronic Disease Management  (Team Care Arrangement ) programs. Social workers are also providers in the      Better Outcomes in Mental Health Initiative.
    • Mental Health Social Workers have a breadth of experience in assessing and working effectively with people   experiencing: Depression and other mood disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Psychosis, Relationship problems, Adjustment issues, Family conflicts, Personality disorders, Suicidal       thoughts, Life Crisis, Trauma. See our home page for more details.

 

 


 

 Email: enquiries@jspencer.com.au

This page was updated on 31st December 2008

  • Send mail to enquiries@jspencer.com.au
    with questions or comments about this web site.
    Copyright © 2002 Joan Spencer & Associates
    Last modified 31st February 2012